Free New Resources for Great American Smokeout
The New Mexico Department of Health encourages New Mexico tobacco users to use its free upgraded services available to help residents stop using tobacco this Thursday, November 20th during the American Cancer Society’s® annual Great American Smokeout®.
The Great American Smokeout® is a day when smokers across the nation make a plan to quit and remain smoke-and tobacco-free. The Department’s upgraded tobacco cessation services include: a mobile-friendly website, a new mobile app (QuitNow by Alere), and prolonged coaching services.
“Quitting can be very difficult, especially when you try to quit rapidly and without support. Too often, people use ineffective methods to quit,” said NMDOH Cabinet Secretary Retta Ward, MPH. “The free help offered by the department’s QUIT NOW Cessation Services is a proven strategy that can triple tobacco-users chances to successfully quit.”
The Department of Health provides help to residents of New Mexico who want to quit using tobacco at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) and 1-855-DEJELO-YA (1-855-335-3569). These comprehensive cessation services provide free nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges, as appropriate, to registered participants, along with a free quit plan and free sessions with a trained coach. Web-based services are available at quitnownm.com and dejeloyanm.com and also offer free comprehensive services with additional online support tools. All services offer text message support. The services are available 24 hours a day. TTY is available for the deaf and hearing impaired at 1-877-777-6534.
“We have free help ready for New Mexicans to stop using tobacco,” the Department of Health’s Nicotine Use Prevention and Control Program manager, Benjamín Jácquez said. “Whether you start small and quit for 24 hours, or you quit for life, this Thursday is your chance to take a step toward a life free from tobacco.”
An estimated 300,000 New Mexico adults and 17,000 high school youth currently smoke. An estimated 42,000 New Mexicans are afflicted with tobacco-related diseases.
The US Surgeon General recently reported that in the past 50 years more than 20 million Americans have died because of smoking. If current rates continue, 5.6 million Americans younger than 18 years of age who are alive today are projected to die prematurely from smoking-related disease. Most of the 20 million smoking-related deaths since 1964 have been adults with a history of smoking; however, 2.5 million of those deaths have been among nonsmokers who died from diseases caused by exposure to secondhand smoke.
Media Contact
We would be happy to provide additional information about this press release. Simply contact Kenny Vigil at 505-841-5871 (Office) or 505-470-2290 (Mobile) with your questions.
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